Going back as far as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, superheroes not wearing the masks that hide their secret identities has long been commonplace in the genre. Simply put, it makes no sense for studios to spend millions of dollars hiring Hollywood A-Listers to keep their faces covered up for most of their screen time, and that's something we've seen in the MCU a lot too.
Star-Lord, for example, has only ever sporadically worn his helmet and Chris Pratt doesn't put it on it for even a single scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
It's hardly the end of the world, but there are those disappointed not to see it back on screen. Well, writer and director James Gunn has now taken to Twitter to share an explanation after being bombarded by fans asking what the deal is.
After all, had he kept his helmet handy, [SPOILER ALERT] Peter Quill would have avoided that near-death experience in the movie's final battle!
According to Gunn, Star-Lord simply didn't have time to retrieve it when the team left Knowhere! As for his rocket boots, no, those wouldn't have been enough to save the Guardian from the vacuum of space.
As cool as it might have been to see the hero wear his helmet (particularly during that epic one-shot fight scene), it really doesn't negatively impact the movie. Plus, it's become the norm for superhero blockbusters; even the MCU's Spider-Man has fought more with his mask off than on at this stage.
"As heart-wrenching as it is hilarious," we said in our review earlier this week, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is James Gunn’s masterstroke and a showcase for both his filmmaking talent and a cast that makes everything about this movie simply awesome. An absolute triumph."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.